National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Golden Spike National Historic Site

P.O. Box 897 Brigham City, UT 84302 435-471-2209, ext. 12 phone 435-471-2341 fax

Golden Spike National Historic Site News Release

For Release:

Contact: Mary Risser

Phone: 435-471-2209, ext. 12

GOLDEN SPIKE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE EMPLOYEES

RECEIVE REGIONAL RECOGNITION

“I am pleased to announce that two Golden Spike National Historic Site employees recently received regional recognition for their performance,” said Superintendent Mary Risser. “Doug Crossen, Maintenance Supervisor, received an award from the National Park Service’s Intermountain Support Office in Denver, and Julie Mann-Cherry was recognized by Western National Parks Association as their Employee of the Month.”

“Over the last three years, the National Park Service has undertaken a full inventory of its industry-standard assets, determined their conditions, and identified what repairs or changes in facility management are needed,” explained Risser. “Doug immediately learned the program and implemented it at Golden Spike. As a result, we were the first park of 83 in the National Park Service’s Intermountain Region to complete the inventory. Doug has subsequently assumed a leadership role in the region and has been sent to other parks to train them in applying this new program to their facilities.

“The staff in Denver recognized Doug with a monetary award,” continued Risser. “In addition, Golden Spike National Historic Site has received some direct benefits because of his efforts. The regional office redirected special project funds to Golden Spike to address some long-time facility deficiencies.”

Julie Mann-Cherry serves as Western National Parks Association Area Manager at Golden Spike where she has managed the bookstore for the past two years. She has made many changes to upgrade the bookstore and professionalize its operation. Mann-Cherry has created displays that are visually appealing, organized, and well stocked with especially relevant materials. This is not the first time that she has been formally recognized for her efforts. She was named WNPA’s Employee of the Month for July of 2002 and played a large part in Golden Spike being honored as Park of the Year in 2002.

“We are very fortunate to have a bookstore manager of Julie’s caliber,” stated Risser. “She consistently demonstrates a high level of motivation, resourcefulness, and professionalism. Julie’s motivated “can do” attitude, coupled with her impressive knowledge of the park’s resources has made her a well-respected and integral part of the staff at Golden Spike National Historic Site.”

WNPA is a non-profit organization that operates bookstores in 63 units of the National Park Service across the western United States. Formerly Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, it was founded by Congress in 1938 to publish park-related interpretive material both for sale and free distribution. All net proceeds from WNPA sales items support interpretive and research programs of the National Park Service.